Face of an Angel
by redhairedwriter7
Summary: The demons of a agent's past come back to life when her life is threatened. It will take the team to find their friend before the unsub takes away her life. Will this agent live to see another light or die with the darkness? Morgan/OC


**Disclaimer: I still ask myself why in the world writers still have to put these things on here but then I realized that we could go to jail. I don't wanna go to jail so I'm just put this thing on here. I do not own **_**Criminal Minds**_**. If I did, I would just die from shock and come back to life. **

**Warnings: Some foul language and violence (mild).**

**A/N: Please enjoy this one-shot! I had amazing time writing it!**

**BTR-Profiler OUT! **

* * *

_**"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living."**_

_**- Seneca, **__Epistles _

* * *

_BAM! _With the slam of the front wooden door, Special Agent Hayden Montgomery stomped into her apartment, with her strawberry-blond hair flying in the wind. Her bright green eyes appeared to show the emotion of fear, sadness, and sympathy.

She couldn't imagine being one of the four mothers who had lost their baby girl to a stone-cold sociopathic narcissistic. The last case was rough, four little girls were abducted, strangled, and left on their parent's front porch. And the unsub only said he was trying to find the perfect play-mate. In the end, a fifth girl was taken and the team was able to get her back and safely reunited with her family.

Hayden shook her head as a small meow erupted from the couch.

"Hey there Callie. Mommy's home." Hayden whispered to her calico feline friend. The cat jumped from her place on the couch and trotted up to the woman's leg. The feline purred and pressed her face against the woman's skinny jeans, letting out tiny meows in her wake.

_Thump... thump... _

"Man, I really just wanna get some sleep, this is so unfair."

Hayden lifted her cat into her arms and walked over to her front door. She had her gun still attached to her hip but you could never be too careful. The woman looked through the peephole to find a very gorgeous looking man in front of her door. She placed Callie onto the floor and then unlocked the door.

"Can I help you?" Hayden questioned, leaning against the door frame.

The man smiled gently at Hayden before nodding his head toward her. "Hi, I'm new to the building and I was wondering if you had any ideas on where I should go to celebrate. Can you help me?" The stranger questioned to the woman.

Hayden nodded. "Yeah. If you want I can get a couple of restaurant cards, my friends and I love going out on Friday nights." Hayden explained to the stranger.

As the strawberry blond turned to leave, the man's smiled curled into a smirk where his eyes darkened with revenge and hatred.

But before Callie could warn her master of the sensed danger, the man grabbed his crow bar and smacked the FBI agent over the side of her head. Hayden fell to the floor with a loud _THUMP _as the blood from the wound sprayed on her wall and onto her feline companion.

The man glared darkly at the unconscious agent and then snorted. "You took my brother and sister from me, now it's time I take something from your team."

Callie started to meow loudly as the man scooped Hayden into his arms and began to make his way down the apartment building's hall. Within moments, the unsub was out of sight and had disappeared into the night. Callie began to meow again, knowing that this was going to be a long night.

* * *

It wouldn't be until morning that SSA Derek Morgan decided to drive by his co-worker's home and check to see if she was alright.

Morgan knocked gently on the door, only to hear a loud yowl from the inside. Immediately, his instincts set in as he backed from the door, slipped out his gun, and then firmly broke down the door. Callie let out a yelp from the sudden noise and raced up to see who it was.

"Hayden! Hey Shorty! You here?" Morgan called out as Callie trotted up to the dark skinned man. She let out a meow and rubbed her face against his pant leg. He holstered his gun and bent down to check on the feline... and that was when he spotted the blood on the cat's coat.

_Oh no..._

* * *

"I think Hayden's missing. She wasn't at the apartment and her cat had blood on its fur." Morgan explained to his fellow co-workers. Garcia had tears in her eyes as Prentiss began to chew the bottom of her lip. Rossi was glancing sideways to Hotch who was rubbing his temples.

"Who would want to hurt Hayden?" Garcia murmured, her eyes sad. Prentiss placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. Reid and Seaver exchanged glances as Morgan folded his arms over his chest, trying to think of anyone who would want to hurt their friend.

"Morgan, go to Strauss and tell her that one of ours is missing. We need our team to help find Hayden." Hotch ordered the dark skinned man. The profiler nodded in reply and quickly left the conference room to speak to their boss.

Hotch turned to Garcia. "Look up everything about Hayden's background... for all we know, she could've been kidnapped by an old friend or someone. I just hope we're not too late."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hayden struggled to pry herself free from the tight ropes that were bound around her wrists, cutting off the circulation. She could feel bruises beginning to form as she attempted to jiggle the ropes free. It was almost useless. The strawberry blond finally gave up as her captor waltzed into the room with her cell phone clutched tightly in his grip.

"Why are you doing this?" The woman questioned as her captor strode behind her chair and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Because, it's time you learned to the true meaning of _unfinished business. _After all, the last time I saw you was about eighteen years ago, when you were testifying against me... remember now, eh, Hayden?"

Hayden's blood immediately ran cold.

_No. No. No. No, it can't be him._

"Marcus? Marcus Call?" Hayden questioned, turning her head around. She caught the familiar smirk that was placed upon Marcus' face; it was the same one he gave Hayden the moment he was sentenced. He knew that he would get out. It was obvious.

Marcus pushed himself away from the chair and then waltzed around the room again, scrolling through Hayden's phone contacts. He appeared to have a bored looking expression as he strolled down the names but finally one caught his eyes.

_Derek Morgan._

* * *

"Oh my god." Garcia gasped, her eyes wide.

Both Morgan and Rossi whirled their heads around to face the brightly colored technical analyst. Garcia felt her blood run cold as she stared at her computer screen.

"Got something for me, baby girl?" Morgan question, his hand dropping onto her shoulder.

The blond nodded. "So, I was looking through Hayden's background and I found an old case file... and you're not gonna like the charges filed."

Rossi quirked a brow.

"What were the charges?"

Garcia sighed; "Rape."

* * *

"So, when Hayden was sixteen, she was raped by her boyfriend, Marcus Call. The case went to trial and he was given twelve years." Garcia told the team.

Prentiss' eyes darkened. "Is the guy out?"

The blond bit her lip. "Yes. Two years ago, he just got off an assault charge."

"Didn't we just have a case with the name Call?" Seaver questioned. Everyone turned to the cadet with a confused look.

"Michael and Megan Call. They had a little brother named Marcus. He's only thirty-eight. Makes him around the same age as Hayden." Garcia spoke, biting her bottom lip.

Hotch glanced quietly at Reid who was scribbling on the white board. Most of the team members were curious about what their fellow co-worker was doing. Seaver tilted her side and then blinked.

"Reid, are those the letters our last unsub had?" Seaver questioned, her finger pointing at the six letters on the board. The genius turned his head with a quick nod and then went back to working on the letters. Morgan groaned quietly and rubbed his tired eyes.

Within moments, Reid stared blankly at the board and then began to circle one letter in the middle of each letter.

_H. A. Y. D. E. N._

"The Call family was targeting Hayden and once they got caught, the two siblings gave the responsibility to someone close to them. In this case, their younger brother. Did you know that 38% rape victims are assaulted by a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend and about 12% of those cases aren't even reported?" Reid rambled, his mind trailing off the topic.

_Wait a minute..._

Morgan shot up from his chair and then quickly raced out of the conference room. He jogged to his office, slipped inside and went straight to his desk. He pulled open a drawer and gently grabbed a photo that lay forgotten. Morgan sighed and then blew some of the dust that had been collected over time.

The photo was a picture that appeared to be have taken at least three years ago, Morgan was in the photo with his arms wrapped tightly around a woman's waist. They were happy together. In love but their fantasy romance turned cold after a hard case... ending the relationship between the two. Turns out that the woman was Hayden Montgomery. She had been laughing, acting happy in the photo. But that all changed...

* * *

"I see that you have a photo of you and this man on your phone; what is he too you?" Marcus questioned, turning his attention to Hayden.

The strawberry blond snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'm not telling you anything." Hayden snapped, her eyes glaring at her ex-boyfriend. She struggled again to break free of the ropes but she could almost believe that it was no use.

Marcus shrugged.

"Then maybe we'll send your friends a little... Hmm, _video. _How's that?" Marcus grinned, his eyes growing wide with revenge.

Hayden watched in horror as Marcus placed her phone onto the counter and began to type furiously on an email. He almost appeared to be venting but he wasn't lashing out his feelings towards Hayden; why was he doing this? He clicked _SEND _and smiled at his handy-work.

"Won't be long until your friends receive a live video stream of your last hours." Marcus laughed, snatched the phone and trotted away up the stairs. Hayden knew that her captor would be back; he always would. Besides, it was normal of Marcus' behavior for him not wanting to miss anything.

The strawberry blonds' head sunk as tears slipped down her face and onto her jeans. Why did it have to be her? ... Well, why **not **her?

* * *

"We were together for almost two years, then we broke up. Just about a week after, she joined the BAU." Morgan murmured, handing Hotch the photograph. "I don't think I could've ever thrown this away."

The darker haired man examined the photo before placing it back gently on the conference table. Reid glanced over at the photo before his eyes widened and caught sight of something. He snatched the photo and began to scan through latest pictures of their co-worker.

"Morgan, I think Marcus Call has been targeting Hayden longer than we thought. He was stalking Hayden even before his siblings began killing." Reid spoke, handing the photo to the dark skinned male. Morgan looked at the photo in confusion, his brow furrowing. "See the guy in the gray shirt, with the black pants?" Reid pointed directly at the said male and then leaned back.

Scanning through the past photos, Prentiss and Seaver glanced at one another and found the exact same description of the same man in all the pictures. It was strange... very strange.

* * *

"OH MY GOD! HAYDEN!"

"Garcia!"

All heads whirled around... sure enough, the strawberry blond was on the computer screen as live feed was transmitted from the unsub's computer. She stared directly at everyone, tear stains appearing to be noticeable on her cheeks.

Marcus appeared behind Hayden and placed his chin on her shoulder, clicking his tongue in response. "Agent Hotcher, I believe you know my girlfriend, Hayden... is that correct?"

Morgan growled and clenched his jaw. Rossi placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping that Morgan wouldn't do anything stupid. "He's trying to provoke you. Don't let him."

Hotch glared, his dark brown eyes narrowing.

"Hmm, no matter..." Hayden visibly shivered as the unsub slipped his knife under her neck and close to her ears. She kept a straight face but her team members would feel that she was fearing for her life. The rest of the team members gathered around the screen as Garcia's eyes began to fill with tears. Marcus only chuckled, his eyes locking with Morgan.

"Hello there Agent Morgan, my lovely Hayden was just telling me the story of how you ripped out her heart and stomped it into the pavement. She never forgave you, did she? So, tell me, _Derek, _how does it feel to be on the other side of the screen, watching the love of your life be taken away from you?"

Morgan clenched his fist, ripped his shoulder away from Rossi, and stormed out of the conference room. Prentiss chased after her co-worker who was heading towards the men's room.

"Ohh, did I touch a nerve there?" Marcus asked, his voice sickly sweet.

"What do you want?" Hotch questioned, folding his arms over his chest.

Marcus shrugged and pushed himself away from Hayden's chair. "I don't want anything. But I do believe that my darling Hayden would like to say a few words, I'll come back later and let you all have some private time." Marcus waltzed out of the room as the strawberry blond smiled softly to her friends.

"God, I'm so happy I get to see you guys." Hayden grinned.

* * *

Prentiss shoved past a few people in order to catch up to Morgan and slipped inside of the men's room. Morgan was leaning over the bathroom counter, his hands gripping tightly to the edge. Prentiss bit her lip and walked up next to her co-worker.

"You shouldn't be in here."

"Oh don't give me that crap Morgan. I know how you feel about her."

The older profiler turned to Prentiss and glared.

"Stay the hell out of my personal life, alright Prentiss?"

The brunette laughed. "Hayden needs us right now, okay? Why don't we give her that?"

Morgan sighed and dropped his head. Prentiss patted her friend on the back and waltzed out of the men's room just as another male walked in. He froze and turned his head as Prentiss was walking away. Morgan snickered quietly and pushed himself away from the counter, walking out behind Prentiss.

* * *

Hayden took a deep breath as she smiled brightly at Hotch, even with tears leaking from the corner's of her eyes. Garcia was close to sobbing and breaking down in her chair as their faithful strawberry blond began to speak.

"Hotch, you have been the best god damn boss and you're like a second father to me. I've gone through four foster homes and none of the parents were as good as you. Tell Jack that I'll miss him. And thank you, for everything."

She moved her attention to Rossi and sniffled. "Rossi, I have read every one of your books ever since I was ten. As I grew up, you became my hero. I couldn't have gotten this far without you. I'll miss you. And also, you have a really good taste in art."

The team began to chuckle as Rossi's face flushed a bright pink. Hayden laughed along with them and looked directly at Prentiss who had just entered the conference room with Morgan.

"Emily, you are the best friend a woman like me could ever have. I'm glad that we met and that you better keep Hotch in line. I've told you my secrets and you've kept them for me. No one has ever done that for me, so thanks. You're my sister, nothing will change that."

Hayden moved from Prentiss to Reid who was sitting next to Garcia with a small smile on his face. She sighed and then giggled; "I don't think I've met a genius that could outsmart you. Don't let anyone tell you who you are. You're that little brother that is always there. I'm gonna miss that."

Garcia wiped her own tears as Hayden locked eyes with her. The strawberry blond smiled. "Oh my amazing hacker. What do I say about you? Your bright and colorful personality tends to keep me out of that darkness we face every day. Never change for me. I'll miss you Penelope."

"I'll miss you too Hayden." Garcia whispered.

The strawberry blond glanced over to Seaver and nodded. "I know that we haven't worked together long, but you are very strong and will go far in this career. I'm glad that I was able to work with you while I still had the chance."

Seaver smiled and began to fiddle with her thumbs.

Hayden blinked a few times before she caught sight of Morgan standing next to Garcia with a hand on her shoulder. The younger agent sighed and struggled a bit to stay comfortable in her position.

"And Morgan, God what do I say? You broke my heart into pieces and somehow you fixed it once again. I have never fallen in love. Sure, I've had my high-school romances but none of them can compare to what I had with you. I had fun while it lasted and I will never forget all those times walking in the park or even just sitting on the couch, watching your stupid action movies." Hayden paused as Morgan to laugh.

She sniffled and felt more tears weld up in her eyes. "But I kinda miss that. I love you Derek Morgan and I'll miss you."

Everyone grew silent as footsteps erupted from behind Hayden and paused while reaching the back of her chair. Marcus appeared next to the strawberry blond and placed both of his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm glad you all had a nice chat; goodbye now." And with a click of a remote, the screen went black, completely filled with utter darkness. Hayden let out a choked sob as Marcus began to stroke her cheek with his thumb, and breathing in her scent.

"You're never gonna get away with this." Hayden whispered, her voice dark.

Marcus only laughed.

"I think I have."

* * *

"Did you get him?" Hotch murmured, as the rest of the team began grabbing their coats and whatnot.

Garcia nodded, writing down the address and handing the sticky-note to Morgan. He quickly read the address and followed his co-workers out of the conference room.

Garcia bit her lip. "Good luck my babies."

* * *

Marcus had now untied Hayden but quickly made sure that she wouldn't fight back. He injected a syringe into her neck, watching as the woman slump into his arms and grow unconscious. The unsub shifted his weight and lifted Hayden bridal style while slowly making his way up the stairs.

It wouldn't be for at least twenty minutes before she woke up and found herself locked in another room. She rubbed her now sore neck and then saw a piece of clothing on one of the chairs. Hayden lifted herself from the bed and gently grabbed the lacy, mini nightdress from the back of the chair. She wiped a strand of her hair behind her ear as she gazed into the mirror.

_Get dressed. I'll be back._

Hayden wiped her eyes, quickly stripped down, and pulled the dress over her head. She looked down at her feet to see that she was wearing pink nail polish and had multiple bruises on her ankles along with chains cuffed tightly around the same area. The strawberry blond took a deep breath and made her way back to the bed. She sat on the covers and heard a door slam itself against wood.

**"FBI! MARCUS CALL! WE GOT A WARRANT FOR YOUR ARREST!"**

Hayden went to run to the door but she knew that she could only go so far with the chains cuffed to her ankles. She looked around the room and then snatched a book that lay on top of the night stand. She ignored the title and threw it at the mirror.

The glass broke, shattering the mirror and flying from the mirror. A few of the tiny shards cut Hayden on the arms and legs but no major blood loss. Within moments, she heard voices near her door and finally with a boot to the door, Hayden watched as the door fell to the floor.

"Hotch! Rossi! I've got her!" Morgan called out, holstering his gun and rushing to Hayden's aid. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear me, Shorty?"

Hayden nodded even with the tears escaping from her eyes. "I hear you." Morgan sat himself on the bed, holding Hayden close as she cried, her tears staining his shirt.

* * *

Both Hotch and Rossi appeared in the doorway and stared at the broken woman in front of them. Rossi stepped over to Hayden, slipped off his jacket, and placed it gently around the woman's shoulders. The older profiler sat on the bed and laid a hand on her knee.

The strawberry blond flinched slightly but quickly broke away from Morgan and turned her attention to her life-long hero. She wiped her eyes and smiled.

"Rossi?"

"Yes?"

Hayden sniffed.

"Sir, permission for an agent to give a hug to her boss?"

Rossi smiled softly at the younger FBI agent and then opened his arms. Hayden looked up at the older agent and then threw herself into Rossi's embrace, tears flowing freely. The strawberry blond choked on a sob as Rossi rubbed small circles on her back with his fingers, trying to calm her. "You never have to ask, Hayden." The younger agent continued to cry as Morgan got up from the bed and made his way out of the room.

He walked towards the living room where Prentiss, Reid, and Seaver had Marcus Call sitting on the couch. In a way, Morgan believed that the low-life didn't deserve the sit but it didn't matter anymore. Hayden was safe and Marcus would be going to jail. Morgan watched as Marcus' lips curled into a smirk while Prentiss was glaring darkly at the easily satisfied man.

"So, how's my little Hayden? I heard her crying earlier..." Marcus spoke, his eyes twinkling.

Morgan shook his head with a slight laugh. "You son of a bitch. I can't wait to see you rot in jail for the rest of your life."

Marcus chuckled with a Cheshire grin.

"Oh, believe me Agent Morgan, I'll get out. I always have."

* * *

The next day was uneventful for the BAU team, Hayden was now sitting in the hospital while doctors wanted to keep her overnight since yesterday. Garcia had visited her and had left with Kevin Lynch on her arm. Prentiss came by with Rossi while Hayden was eating her lunch. They left as Hotch and Jack stopped by to visit. The youngest Hotchner boy was sitting on Hayden's bed and telling her about his day at school while Hotch came back with a juice box.

"Hey Hotch. Glad to see that you've finally gotten some sleep." Hayden murmured, brushing a strand of her strawberry blond hair. Her green eyes were brighter from the day before and filled with joy.

"Very funny Montgomery," Hotch said, while shaking his head and handing his son a drink. Hayden snickered as Jack began to drink out of his juice box. The strawberry blond bit her lip and then glanced down the smallest member of the Hotchner family.

"Hey Jack, can you go to my purse and get my badge for me?" The woman asked, while grinning at Jack.

The child nodded as Hotch grabbed his son, placed him on the floor, and then quirked a brow at Hayden. She held up a finger, signaling for her boss to be quiet. Jack searched through the woman's purse before grabbing her badge and bringing it to the strawberry blond.

"Thank you Jack. Now, I have a question for you." Hayden spoke. Jack nodded while sipping on his juice box. The woman smiled gently at her badge before placing it in the child's hand. "Can you give this to your dad? I think he should be the one to have it."

Hotch was in shock. Complete and utter shock. Was Hayden... resigning? First JJ and now this... what was going on in this woman's mind? Jack smiled back at Hayden before walking over to Hotch and holding out the badge. The unit chief bent down to his son's level and took the badge out of his hands. Hotch patted his son on the head and gave him a quick hug.

"Jack, why don't you go see your aunt, okay?"

The child nodded and swiftly left the room.

"What the hell are you planning to accomplish?" Hotch barked, once Jack was out of the room.

Hayden blinked. "Hotch, my psych evaluation is in two weeks. I was kidnapped, nearly threatened to death, and was on the verge of being raped. I think it's best that I leave." The strawberry blonde whispered.

Hotch poked his head out the door where he saw his sister-in-law playing with Jack and talking quietly with him. The unit chief closed the door and walked up to Hayden, sitting on her bed. He gripped the badge tightly in his hand as Hayden placed her hand on top of his.

"Don't blame yourself, Hotch. You're a great unit chief and I've never had a boss like you. And I just want to say thanks." Hayden murmured. Hotch placed his free hand on top of Hayden's and nodded with understanding.

"I'm holding onto your badge until you decide whether you want to come back." After those words, Hotch was out the door.

* * *

No words were spoken between chief and agent. Hotch left along with Jack and his sister-in-law. Reid came by that late afternoon with a book for Hayden to read. The two friends chatted until the visiting hours were over and Hayden was becoming tired.

"Goodnight Reid." Hayden smiled, giving her friend a hug.

The genius smiled back. "Night Hayden."

And with that said, Reid left without another word. Just as he left, Morgan arrived at the door with a small bouquet of roses behind his back. The dark skinned man strode up the Hayden's door to see that the woman was now in more comfortable PJs (Courtesy of Garcia) and lying on top of her covers. He knocked on the doorway and then Hayden lifted her head to see who it was.

"Morgan, what are you doing here?"

The older profiler shrugged. "Thought you might want these." He pulled the rose behind his back and presented them to the strawberry blond. She blushed a bright red, almost the color of a tomato. The woman gladly took the roses and then grinned at Morgan. He sat next to her on the bed and laid his hands in front of his lap.

"Hotch called me. Said you were planning on leaving."

Hayden nodded with a small shrug. "It's for the best."

Morgan sat up straighter and turned towards the strawberry blond. He placed his hands over hers and made sure that the woman was looking at him. "What is it gonna take to change your mind, Hayden? I lost you once. I can't lose you again."

The younger FBI agent placed the roses on the small table next to her bed and then gently laid a hand on Morgan's cheek. The dark skinned man leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together as if they were lovers once again. Hayden felt a tear escape her eye as Morgan quickly wiped it away.

"You know, I was planning on proposing to you the night we broke up. I had everything planned too." Morgan paused his speech. He took a breath and stared at the woman he had fallen in love with all over again. "I made reservations to your favorite restaurant, you know, the one that Garcia recommended for our six-month anniversary? Anyways, I had the ring in my pocket and I knew that I would propose to you at the little bench where we first met." Morgan froze, as the memory began to play out into his head.

* * *

_The rain had just begun to fall and patter gently against the window pane of the quiet Italian restaurant. Morgan and Hayden were in a secluded area of the restaurant as their waiter came back with a bottle of their most famous wine. The profiler had it all figured out; after the dinner, he was going to take his (hopefully) soon-to-be fiancé to the park and propose._

_"Derek, I have something to tell you." Hayden murmured, as Morgan began to pour themselves a glass of the wine. He placed the wine back onto the table and handed his girlfriend a glass. The woman took a small sip of the drink and smiled softly._

_"I'm joining the FBI."_

_Morgan's froze in mid-sip and felt his blood run cold. He swallowed the wine and placed the glass onto the table top. Hayden quirked a brow while brushing a strand of her strawberry blond hair from her face. "Is something wrong?" She asked._

_The profiler sighed and turned towards his girlfriend. "Please don't join the Bureau, Hayden. I can't see you get hurt." _

_Hayden scoffed. "I can take care of myself, Derek. You haven't exactly been around since you've been working all these cases and I think it's time that I make something out of myself." The woman grew quiet. "Why can you just support my decision?"_

_Morgan was silent after that._

* * *

Hayden bit her lip and then sighed. "I would've said yes, you know." Morgan looked directly at Hayden in her piercing green eyes and blinked. Hayden nodded with a small smile. "I would've said yes."

The profilers didn't realize what was happening until their lips connected and erupted the past passions they had once shared. Morgan's hand moved down to the woman's waist, drawing her closer to his chest as their lips continued to move against one another. Hayden's brain to grow fuzzy but she soon remembered that she was making out with her ex-boyfriend and her co-worker...

_Damn it._

Hayden broke the kiss and laid her hands on Morgan's chest. The breathless profiler grinned cockily at the green-eyed woman who was in shock. "I think you should leave, Morgan." Said man was confused; first visiting, then remembering, next kissing and now she wants him to leave... what the hell is up with that?

"Hayden... I was..." The strawberry blond haired woman placed a finger to the profiler's lips and shook her head.

"Just leave. Please."

Morgan wanted to protest but he knew that Hayden wouldn't let him stand a chance of getting a word in. He quietly gathered himself and moved away from the bed. Hayden watched as Morgan glanced back but soon left the room without another word. The woman stared at the roses on her side table and then at the door. She knew that this was for the best... until she remembered Hotch's words to her.

_"I'm holding onto your badge until you decide whether you want to come back."_

That's when Hayden made her decision.

* * *

The next morning, the team waltzed through the glass doors of the BAU office only to find themselves shocked at what they were staring at. Hayden could feel that someone was staring at her while filing through her large amount of paperwork. She lifted her head and turned to see the surprised faces of her team members. With a small wave, Hayden heard Garcia let out a squeal before running over to the strawberry blond.

The hyper-active blond gave her friend a giant hug and tried to form words but was cut off when the profiler glanced over at Hotch with a smirk. "I thought about what you said and I kinda want my badge back. The security guard was almost tempted to leave me outside the building but I was able to get in."

Prentiss threw her arms around Garcia along with Hayden and the three friends began to laugh and smile at one another. Rossi was smirking as Reid was smiling brightly. Seaver glanced over at Hotch and motioned her head towards the break room. The two agents walked over to the coffee machine and began to get their morning coffee before Seaver spoke out.

"Hotch, why did you keep her badge?" The woman asked with a confused look on her face.

The older profiler watched as Morgan stepped through the doors and found himself staring at the one woman who had changed his entire life.

"Because I knew that she wouldn't leave her team. She has had her bad days but we all have; it's what makes us human."

Hayden broke away from giving hugs to Rossi and Reid before waltzing up to the dark skinned profiler. She smirked and bit her bottom lip. "I thought about what happened last night and I wanted to say that I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to be hurt like the way you did. But I do have a question for you."

Morgan quirked a brow. "What's that?"

The strawberry blond bit her nail before clicking her tongue in response.

"So, do you still have that ring?"

* * *

_**"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."**_

_**- Martin Luther King, Jr.**_

**A/N: I don't think I have ever written a one-shot this long. I think my fingers are about to fall off. In the time of almost a week, I have written over 12 pages and over 5,500 words. I would like to thank my friends and family who keep me going every day when I feel down and don't want to write. This is my dream and I'm not giving up on it. Hopefully in the future, you will see small scenes or one-shots about my character, Hayden Montgomery. **

**... And to think, this whole idea came from a dream. **


End file.
